<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (povol @ Mar 18 2010, 06:29 AM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>That is a start, at least you say its your opinion instead of stating it as a fact. I still disagree about there not being enough competitive bikes for this reason. The pipeline starts way down in secondary series where bikes are pretty much equal. Then you get to the AMA where in the 750ss, DSB, and ASB, the bikes are pretty much equal, at least for the top 6-8 riders. Lets face it,you dont have to be a guru to build a DSB or an ASB under todays tech specs.Even before DMG,the bikes in SSport and Sstock were very close. A solid bike guy can build a competitive bike in both of those series.With that in mind, there doesnt seem to be the dominant young rider,MAYBE Herrin, that can take one of these series by the throat and separate himself from the pack.If one of the old guys, like Zemke,Yates, Hacking, Hayden wins the ASB title,which seems probable, it will only amplify the lack of young talent in the series. As far as Yosh dominance, i look at Tommy Hayden to counter that theory. He was a 3-4-5 guy when they ran real SB and he is a 2-3-4 guy on the new Yosh SB, Mladin and Spies were the difference and now that both are gone, you will see Yosh beaten on a regular basis, such as Daytona. And i think that would be true if they went back to 2008 rules for the next race. I believe this season in ASB will be a toss up,with multiple winners and a close points race, just like i said it would be for the last 3-4 years when i was telling anyone who would listen, that as soon as Matt and Ben leave, you will see some of the best racing ever. It is now up front instead of 3-8th, and if you went back to real SB tomorrow,none of that would change.There is 5-6 riders who are equal, and no matter what you put them on,they will be equal.
Povol, there is a reason the AMA refused to adopt WSBK rules year after year. Honda and Kawasaki wanted to play with hotted-up WSS bikes in the FX class, and Suzuki wanted Yosh to build all of the necessary SBK parts. None of them wanted to give up specially built prototype tires. I guess Yamaha were content to play in SS; however, the new R1 would probably have been drastically better in old SBK and old SStk so maybe they were just lying in wait.
Mat and Ben definitely contributed to uncompetitive racing at the front, but the 1 minute victories they routinely notched over the rest of the field were most likely the result of the AMA rulebook, the tires, and the historical fallout from the traction control debacle. Even if the AMA had adopted the WSBK rulebook, the Mat & Ben show would have continued (as you mentioned), but riders on other brands would have inherited better equipment.
The entire AMA arrangement was ridiculous when compared to the competitive arrangement in WSBK.
1. RE took care of the equipment.
2. Atlas is attempting to repair bridges that Edmdondson burned when he changed the regs
3. Hopefully, the economy will recover and privateers will be flush with cash so they can hire better talent in the US and abroad.
The AMA is a better competitive environment than BSB. We've got more venues, and much better tax laws and standard of living. If you tell British and Australian riders they can knock down six digits while living in Miami or SoCal, people will show up. Plus, the AMA is a privateer series so they can ride whatever bike suits their fancy.
When you have an international field of top-flight riders, all riders (including Americans) benefit. Look how stacked things were in the late 750 era.
